Looms

ABSTRACT

A control apparatus for use in a Raschel knitting machine for effective movements of the guide bar and comprising a pair of spaced bars which are bodily movable up and down relative to the shaft about which they oscillate under the control of electromagnets and possibly springs and on which the guide bar can slide with a reciprocating motion.

Field of Search ..66/86, 87

I Umted States Patent 1151 3,660,992 Perrier 1 May 9, 1972 [s41 LOOMS [56] Relerences Cited [72] inventor: Augustin Perrier, Lyon, France UNITED STATES PATENTS [73] Assignee: Manufactures Jean-Baptlste Martin, Jean 3 464 236 9/1969 Bassist I I 66/86 nz'g gggy Charm 3,410,113 1 H1968 Bassist ..66/86 3,469,419 9/l969 Kohl ..66/86 X [22] Filed: Mar. ll, 1970 [2] APPL No: 18,587 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak [30] Foreign Applicatlon Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT France "6906946 A control apparatus for use in a Raschel knitting machine for l 52 1 U 5 cl 66/86 effective movements of the guide bar and comprising a pair of I 5 I] D loo spaced bars which are bodily movable up and down relative to [58] the shaft about which they oscillate under the control of electromagnets and possibly springs and on which the guide bar can slide with a reciprocating motion.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures LOOMS This invention relates to an electro-mechanical apparatus for transmitting to the pile bar of a Raschel machine the movement which is necessary for it to knit with one or two needle rows, a velvet or a plush with a close pile.

Applicant's copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 882,245 filed Dec. 14, 1969 describes a-method of knitting which makes it possible to manufacture on a Raschel machine with one or two needle rows, a velvet or a plush with a close pile. The object of this method is to facilitate the manufacture on a Raschel machine, of tine gauge plush, and, consequently of close-pile velvet. For this purpose, the aforesaid application -Ser. No. 882,245 makes it possible to impart to the guide bar for the pile thread a three-dimensional movement comprising the customary reciprocating and oscillating movements to which there is added an alternating vertical movement.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus controlled electro-mechanically for transmitting to the pile bar the aforesaid three-dimensional movement and in particular the ascending and descending components.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus adapted to be interposed between the guide bar of a' Raschel machine for the pile thread and the mechanisms controlling the reciprocating movement and the oscillating movement, the apparatus comprising supports connected to the oscillating shaft, slides connected to the supports, which slides are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the oscillating shaft, the slides each serving as a guide, 'a piston movable in each slide and subjected to the opposing action of an electromagnet and a return means, spaced bars supported by the pistons and their piston rods, the bars being parallel to the oscillating shaft and being displaceable under the effect of the opposing electro-magnets and return means while maintaining their spacing, brackets slidable along the bars with a reciprocating motion, and a guide bar connected to the brackets and adapted to be coupled by a swivel connection to the mechanism for controlling the reciprocating movement.

Preferably, each return means is a spring.

Alternatively, each return means is a second electro-magnet which is excited when the first is at rest and vice versa.

The instant at which the current to the electro-magnets is fed and arrested is obtained by means of a distributor of known type, driven in synchronism with the movement of the machine.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a part-sectional elevation of an apparatus according to the invention where the guide bar for the pile thread is raised by the return springs;

FIG. 2 is a similar view when the pile bar is in the lower position, being attracted by the electro-magnets;

FIG. 3 is a half-sectional elevation of an apparatus where both the ascending and descending movements of the pile bar are obtained by means of electro-magnets;

FIG. 4 is an end view in the direction of the arrow IV (FIG. 3) illustrating the position of the guide bar at the moment when it begins to descend; and,

FIG. 5 is a corresponding view when the guide bar which has completely descended, has passed the'pile thread under the latch of the needles.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is hung on the oscillating control shaft 1 which is provided in the normal manner on a knitting machine of the Raschel type. This shaft 1 oscillates alternately in one direction and the other. It is integral with supports 2, which in the present case are two in number (FIG. 1). On each support is fixed a slide which may be constituted by a cylinder 3 in which slides a piston 4. Each of the pistons 4 extends downwardly in the form of a rod 5 provided at its end with a bearing 6. A compression spring 7 is housed around the rod 5, between the piston 4 and the bottom 8 of the fixed cylinder 3 against which it rests. A bar 9, parallel to the shaft 1, connects the bearings 6.

Each piston 4 is made of non-magnetic material (plastics material, or even metal such as bronze, copper, aluminium or an alloy of these metals). The piston 4 is integral with a ferromagnetic body 10 which is provided on top of it. On its top, this body 10 has a bearing 11. The two bearings 11 are connected by a bar 12, parallel to the oscillating shaft 1 and to the lower bar 9.

In addition, there is fixed to the top of each cylinder or slide 3, the coil of an electro-magnet 13 inside which there may slide with a slight air gap, the continuous cylindrical body constituted by the piston 4 and the ferromagnetic body 10. The assembly is dimensioned such that when the electro-magnet 13 is not excited, the return spring 7 keeps the ferromagnetic body 10 above this electro-magnet 13 (FIG. 1). On the other hand, as soon as the electro-magnet 13 is excited it attracts the body 10 (FIG. 2), which is lowered as well as the piston 4, by compressing the spring 7.

The bars 9 and 12 serve as guides for apertured brackets 14, which slide along them. These brackets are perpendicular to the oscillating shaft 1 and, at their lower end, they are fixed on the back of a guide bar 15. The guide needles 16 of this bar are used for guiding the pile thread 17 of the plush or velvet which it is proposed to knit. I

The bar 15 is provided at one of its ends with a swivel connection or mechanism 18 which a pivoted lever 19 connects to the known coupling (not shown) of a mechanism of the normal type able to impart to the guide bar 15 an alternating reciprocating motion (FIG. 1, double arrow 20).

It can be seen that starting and stopping the current to the electro-magnets 13 causes the descent or ascent of the bearings 6 and I1, i.e., of the guide bar 15 (double arrow 21, FIG. 1). In addition, the oscillations of the shaft 1 on itself (FIG. 4, double arrow 22) made it possible to displace the guide bar 15 perpendicularly to the plane of FIGS. 1 and 2. These different movements are controlled by known means, in synchronism with the general movement of the loom. These known means comprise in particular an electrical distributor (not shown) which connects and disconnects the electro-magnets 13, to their power source at the desired instant.

There is shown in FIG. 3 an alternative embodiment, where the bearings 6 and 11 are mounted directly at the two ends of a single rod 5 which slides in a vertical guide sleeve 23 fixed on the support 2. This sleeve 23 constitutes a slide equivalent to the cylinder 3 of the preceding example.

Here there is provided on top of each bearing 11 a ferromagnetic plate 24, while a similar plate 25 is provided on the lower part of the bearing 6. Above the plate 24, an electromagnet 26 is fixed 'to the support 2. Similarly, underneath the plate 25 a similar eIectro-magnet 27 is fixed to the support 2. The distance 28 separating the abutment faces opposite the electro-magnets 26 and 27 is equal to the total length 29 of the rod 5 and of its accessories 6, 11, 24, 25 increased by the dimension 30 of the ascending and descending movement which it is desired to transmit to the guide bar 15 (double arrow 21).

An electric distributor of known type (not shown) is driven in synchronism with the general movement of the machine, in order to excite alternatively the upper eIectro-magnets 26 and the lower electro-magnets 27. When the latter are excited (FIG. 3, left-hand side) the lower plates 25 are attracted to them and the guide bar 15 is in the lower position. On the other hand, when the upper electro-magnets 26 are excited, the plates 24 are attracted to them and the guide bar 15 is located in the upper position (FIG. 3, right-hand side).

The operation is as follows:

At the beginning of the knitting cycle, the bar 15 is kept in the upper position (electro-magnets 1 3 not excited in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2, or even electro-magnets 27 de-energized whereas the electro-magnets 26 are excited in the case of FIG. 3). There is thus transmitted to the bar 15 in the normal manner its reciprocating movements (double arrow 20) and its oscillating movements (double arrow 31, FIG. 4). Thus, the pile thread 17 is passed under the hook of the needles 32 of the loom, needles whose latches 33 are open. Then, in order to press the pile, the connection of the electro-magnets is reversed, i.e., the electro-magnets 13 are excited in the case of FIG. 2, or the electro-magnets 27 in the case of FIG. 3 are excited, whereas the electro-magnets 26 are de-energized. The result is the descent of the bar 15 (FIG. 4, arrows 34). There is shown in FIG. 4, the beginning of this descending motion, whose effect can be seen to be the lowering of the pile thread 17 under the latch 33. At the end of the descent, the pile thread 17 has passed completely under the latches 33 (FIG. 5). i

The knitting cycle continues with the upwards movement of the guide bars 9 and 12 on which may slide the brackets 14 of the guide bar 15. This complete knitting cycle is described in the afore-mentioned Ser. No. 882,245.

It can be seen that the apparatus according to the invention has no member housed at the level of the guide needles 16, which makes it possible to save space and to knit a very fine gauge.

The apparatus which has been described may be used on Raschel machine with one needle row, as well as on machine with two needle rows.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus adapted to be interposed between the guide bar of a Raschel machine for the pile thread and the mechanisms controlling the reciprocating movement and the oscillating movement of the guide bar, the apparatus comprising an oscillating shaft, supports connected to the oscillating shaft, slides connected to the supports, which slides are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the oscillating shaft, the slides each serving as a guide, a piston movable in each slide and subjected to the opposing action of an electro-magnet and a return means, spaced bars supported by the pistons and their piston rods, the bars being parallel to the oscillating shaft and being displaceable under the effect of the opposing electromagnets and return means while maintaining their spacing, brackets slidable along the bars with a reciprocating motion, and a guide bar connected to the brackets and adapted to be coupled by a swivel connection to the mechanism for controlling the reciprocating movement.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which each return means is a spring.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which each return means is an electro-magnet.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the two electro-magnets associated with each piston rod are connected in spaced apart relation to the related support in opposed relation to the ends of the piston rod whereby the piston rod may be displaced within the guide between said electro-magncts.

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1. An apparatus adapted to be interposed between the guide bar of a Raschel machine for the pile thread and the mechanisms controlling the reciprocating movement and the oscillating movement of the guide bar, the apparatus comprising an oscillating shaft, supports connected to the oscillating shaft, slides connected to the supports, which slides are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the oscillating shaft, the slides each serving as a guide, a piston movable in each slide and subjected to the opposing action of an electro-magnet and a return means, spaced bars supported by the pistons and their piston rods, the bars being parallel to the oscillating shaft and being displaceable under the effect of the opposing electromagnets and return means while maintaining their spacing, brackets slidable along the bars with a reciprocating motion, and a guide bar connected to the brackets and adapted to be coupled by a swivel connection to the mechanism for controlling the reciprocating movement.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which each return means is a spring.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which each return means is an electro-magnet.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the two electro-magnets associated with each piston rod are connected in spaced apart relation to the related support in opposed relation to the ends of the piston rod whereby the piston rod may be displaced within the guide between said electro-magnets. 